Stories
White House Blocks CNN Journalists from Xi Jinping Dinner Despite Court Order
- •The White House denied two CNN journalists access to cover Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state dinner, despite a federal judge ordering the Trump administration to restore the network’s White House access.
- •CNN reported that a reporter and producer were stopped by a White House press wrangler and told to ‘talk to’ White House Communications Director Steven Cheung.
- •The incident occurred hours after US District Judge Timothy Kelly ordered the administration to reinstate press credentials for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico.
- •The White House had initially restricted CNN to only a photojournalist and audio technician for the event, while other networks were allowed full editorial teams.
- •This dispute is part of an escalating conflict between the Trump administration and CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, which stems from accusations of ‘fake news’ and a lawsuit filed by the news organizations.
Key Questions Answered
The White House restricted CNN access to Chinese President Xi Jinping's arrival for a state dinner by limiting them to a photojournalist and audio technician, excluding their reporter and producer. This occurred amid an escalating dispute after President Donald Trump banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from regular White House access for allegedly producing fake news, despite a federal judge issuing a temporary restraining order requiring their credentials to be restored.
The three news organizations filed a joint lawsuit against the Trump administration arguing that the revocation of their press credentials violated their constitutional rights, including protections under the First Amendment and due-process rights under the Fifth Amendment. In response, US District Judge Timothy J. Kelly issued a temporary restraining order requiring the administration to immediately return, reinstate, and restore their hard-pass credentials for 14 days.
The administration defended the restrictions by arguing that access to the White House is a privilege rather than an absolute right, asserting that the First Amendment protects publication rights but does not guarantee physical access or a place in the press pool. To support its position, the administration cited historical press-access disputes and restrictions from previous Democratic administrations involving outlets like Fox News and the Associated Press.
